We are saved by faith. But how does faith come to us? Paul wrote that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and also asks, “How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” We are saved by remaining and growing in abiding relationship with God through His Body—through those He’s sent—where His anointed word continues to wash and cleanse us. If
The Gospel is the good news that a saving relationship with God is now possible through Jesus Christ. Yet how do we make this gospel applicable in our lives? Is it merely a mental assent or is there something we must obey in order to be saved?
Jesus described the church as “a city set upon a hill which cannot be hidden” He does not refer to a geographical phenomenon, but a spiritual network of believers who comprise a city very different from cities of the natural world. Every city is built on a foundation. A dynamic of covetousness and greed serves as the motivating force (foundation) upholding all civilizations, which James called “demonic.” God has prepared
Edward Abbey’s famous catchphrase succinctly describes our postmodern culture with the term: Question Authority. Yet this oversimplification fails to bifurcate the 2 forms of authority—compulsory authority backed by brute force vs. relational authority that is motivated by love. What are the underlying motivations behind this statement and, is there a Biblical mandate for Church authority?
The dichotomy of Israelites and Samaritans has been an ongoing rift since the fall of the Northern Kingdom. A people never able to completely part ways with their pagan idols, they created an amalgamation of Judaism with their former gods and were forever outcast from the Israelite culture. Yet when Jesus came, He seemed to ignore this cultural rift continuously. Does that mean He simply ignored their pseudo-pagan religion or
When God wanted to demonstrate to all principalities and powers His manifold wisdom, He created the Church. This is an institution that surpasses all unity, love and power of any other, not by coercion, but through the power of truth and love. This is only possible through the energizing power of the Holy Spirit, active in each member of the fitly framed temple. Yet each member only contains a measure
Jesus, Peter and Paul foretold of a time when ravenous wolves would commingle with the flock of God and cause great tribulation and lead many astray. It wasn’t long before these words were reality and the great work that God had begun was coopted into the institutions of man and rendered powerless. Yet throughout history, God has been faithful to raise up men who hunger for the power of the
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9) God’s core nature is love, and He desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance and find eternal life. Many would try to abdicate their personal responsibility in choosing this path of life
Every ancient religion depicts a tree in the center of a garden with a promise for a certain type of enlightenment for those who would partake of that trees’ fruit. This knowledge is depicted as as something altogether positive with the one exception being the narrative of the Old Testament. This session focuses on the impact State sponsored education has played in imprinting this type of knowledge on its citizens
An encounter with Christs’ authentic Body is a challenge to the carnal will which insists on preserving its autonomy and “space.” This is expressed in a clash of wills and desires. Truly coming to God unavoidably manifests this conflict. Scientific psychotherapy seeks to surrogate the power of Christ coming through pastoral ministry, and consequently, becomes its foul-smelling substitute. This lie was introduced to deliver Christians from the guilt of sin